Balotelli, Boateng, Kolarov, Silva, Yaya Toure, Milner

[Didsbury Dave]

"In terms of usefulness to the squad:" Didsbury Dave'

Forgot about Vieira.

1/10 for performances and ability.

Behind the scenes I don't know but he's a player so that's what I judge him on.

Great contradiction.

No contradiction whatsover.

Each seperate post is qualified.

Which is common sense.

 

[1fingerwillie]

Mancini's summer signings. Which player have you been most pleased with? Who has excited you? Who has surprised you? Who has angered you?

Give the players a mark out of 10, on whatever scale you want.You could factor in several variables if you wanted: performances to date, potential, their role as part of a team.....all, of course, contributing to the big question, 'was this a good signing?'

The season is still young. If you feel unable to give a mark, give a prediction. Who will be the Vincent Kompany of Mancini's signings, and who will be the Wayne Bridge?

My opinion (in rank order):

Silva - 10/10. Has been utterly superb. By far our most technically gifted player, Silva is at the centre of everything Mancini has been trying to do with the team - playing fluid, possession based football with blurred lines between midfield and attack. He's still young too - will be indispensable for many seasons to come.

Kolarov - 8/10. Again, absolutely crucial to the way we're trying to play football. He has a surprisingly good range of passing, in addition to the energy and delivery that we knew he could supply. He looks likely to be our Ashley Cole or Patrice Evra.

Yaya Toure - 8/10. I might be in the minority here, but I'm of the opinion that Yaya was a very astute signing. His touch is generally superb, as is his range of passing. He has the Xavi/Iniesta-esque ability to beat a player with his body position when he receives the ball, rather than a skill. He is a vital link between our defensive midfielders and the overlapping fullbacks.

Balotelli - 8/10. He will undoubtedly become a top top player, and thus on the basis of potential alone he is a 9 or a 10. However, his performances have thus far been inconsistent - he misplaces passes too often, often trying to pull off an outrageous ball where the simple pass would have been more effective. I don't really care about his attitude, though, as long as he continues to improve. Obviously, a bit too early to judge, but hey.

Milner - 6/10. I am yet to be convinced that James Milner can slot into this City side, playing in the style we have adopted. He looked very very good against Salzburg, but therein lies the problem - he seems to be a 4-4-2 man, who relishes space to drive into. We do not play this way when we have our full team out. In our usual style, Milner looks lost, his touch looks poor, his vision restricted. Is he destined to become simply a squad player, consigned to the bench for most of the season?

Boateng - 6/10. Where is the man who impressed playing full back for Germany at the World Cup this summer? He's shown glimpses of this form, but has fallen behind Richards and Zabaleta in the right-back pecking order. He seems to be more at ease at centre-back, but he is surely unlikely to be able to dislodge Kolo Toure or Kompany?

Your turn!

Again, I would like to stress that it is OBVIOUSLY way too early to do this properly, I know. But nevertheless it could churn up some interesting discussion and insight.

Thats because his natural position is centre back

Has he actually played center back this season? I don't recall it if he has.

 

[schfc6]

"In terms of usefulness to the squad:" Didsbury Dave'




Great contradiction.

No contradiction whatsover.

Each seperate post is qualified.

Which is common sense.

Oh right, all other players get rated based on their value to the squad.

Only Viera gets rated based on his performance on the pitch, and nothing to do with his value to the squad, seems fair!!

 

[Ntini77]

Vieira has been quality in the Europa league.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

Forgot about Vieira.

1/10 for performances and ability.

Behind the scenes I don't know but he's a player so that's what I judge him on.

That's a first